Orr jersey headlines vintage hockey jerseys in upc

Once again, Classic Collectibles-Que has assembled an unbelievable array of game-worn vintage hockey jerseys for its Historical Hockey Memorabilia Auction. The 694-lot auction is open for bidding, and closes on March 27.

The 98 lots of The Alan Eagleson Collection is the anchor of this auction, but it is a 1972 Bobby Orr Stanley Cup Finals game-worn, photo matched Boston Bruins jersey that might steal the headlines. According to the auction house, this is the best jersey it has offered at auction in the last 10 years.

What makes this jersey so unique and rare is the fact that it is the jersey Orr wore while drinking from the Stanley Cup on May 11, 1972, at New York's Madison Square Garden. It's also the same jersey that Orr was wearing when he scored his second Stanley Cup-winning goal in three years, earlier that day. The jersey is photo matched, involving marks on the "4" of the right sleeve and two team repairs a little lower down that show up in a photo of the icon with his lips on the bowl of Lord Stanley's trophy.

In addition, the predominantly black road jersey had a double-garter style fight strap that was cut out of the tail. There are 11 team repairs on the front, mostly pea and dime-size affairs, along with a couple of wide one-inch repairs. A 12th repair is at the base of the six eyelets. Three repairs are on the left sleeve, and three more on the right. Two final repairs are located on the upper back and along the rear hem. Other notable things about the jersey include board paint on the gold stripe, a drop of blood in the white of the Bruins' tackle twill crest, pilling/wear at the cuffs, and a significant interior pilling in the arms, shoulders and number regions. A week into the auction, the jersey has already received 15 bids and was at $55,599.

As already stated, The Alan Eagleson Collection anchors the auction.

"It will probably make a big story here in Canada, but we are auctioning off the personal collection of Alan Eagleson," said Marc Juteau president of Classic Collectibles-Que. "Eagleson was the guy who was in charge of the NHLPA and the 1972 Canada-Russia series. He was Bobby Orr's agent, and he was the head of Hockey Canada. In the 1970s and 1980s he was called the most powerful man in hockey.

"He is also a guy who went to jail for a period of time. He went to court in the United States and Canada for using the pension plan money from the players for his own benefits. So it's a pretty big story up here in Canada."

Game-used Team Canada jerseys lead the way in The Alan Eagleson Collection. A Wayne Gretzky 1981 Canada Cup game-worn team Canada jersey is at the top of that list, with a minimum bid of $5,000. Not far behind is a Mark Messier 1991 Canada Cup game-worn Team Canada jersey, which was up to $3,660 one week into the auction.

Other Canada Cup, Team Canada game-worn jerseys include: a 1981 Mike Bossey; a 1981 Bob Gainey; a 1981 Ron Duguay; and a 1981 Craig Hartsburg.

Other highlighted items from The Alan Eagleson Collection include: a miniature Bobby Orr 1971-72 Conn Smythe Trophy presented to Eagleson; a 1978 World Hockey Championships gold medal; Eagleson's 1976 Canada Cup championship trophy; a 1972 Canada-Russia Series Player of the Game Ring presented to Eagleson; a miniature Bobby Orr James Norris Memorial Trophy presented to Eagleson; and a miniature Bobby Orr Hart Memorial Trophy presented to Eagleson.

Other highlighted items include: a 1925-26 first year New York Americans Billy Burch game-worn wool sweater; a Tim Horton 1969-70 last Toronto Maple Leafs game-worn jersey; a Doug Harvey 1959-60 Montreal Canadiens photo matched game-worn wool sweater; a Phil Watson 1941-42 game-worn New York Rangers wool sweater; a Dit Clapper circa 1946 game-worn Boston Bruins wool sweater; a Ted Kennedy mid-1950s Toronto Maple Leafs wool sweater; and a Dave Keon 1976 WHA Minnesota Fighting Saints game-worn jersey.

The final day of bidding for this auction is March 27. For more information or to bid on a item, visit the company's website at www.classicauctions.net.